Workstation registration may be used to assist in managing a plurality of clients connected over a network to one or more servers. Workstation registration may provide information regarding a particular client and user of that client. To enable workstation registration, a workstation import service may be used to import information regarding the workstation. Importing workstation information typically only occurs once. The workstation import service may initially create a workstation object in a network tree that identifies devices connected over the network. The workstation import service may populate the workstation object with default values and update workstation properties with current registration information. The workstation import service may use a workstation import policy to determine where a workstation object is to be created and how the workstation object should be named.
The workstation import policy typically includes the following steps. First, a server policy package is created for a particular platform, for example, Microsoft Windows™, Unix™, Macintosh™. The server policy package is typically created at a client. A system administrator may then enable the workstation import policy which may be at a remote location. The client then associates the workstation import policy enabled by the system administrator with the server, server group or server container.
Unlike workstation importing, workstation registration typically occurs when a workstation manager program starts up, a user logs-in to the tree, or a user logs-out of the tree. Workstation registration typically includes the following steps. A client may register workstation information about a client. A system administrator may then import the workstation, using the workstation information, and notify the client. The client may then verify that the workstation has been created and record a name assigned to the workstation. Such systems typically require multiple steps and intervention by a plurality of users. This increases communications over the network.
Another problem relates to assigning rights for performing tasks. Task rights may be assigned to a server container. This, however, may permit a broad class of servers and other directory objects to perform one or more tasks. Thus, some of the directory objects may have undesired, but authorized rights have particular tasks performed. This is a drawback.
These and other drawbacks exist.